Love In Colour

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT: IMPATIENT PARENTS & ACCEPTING FAMILIES

Gray and I are watching a movie. We're in bed, enjoying a cosy evening inside. The weather outside is cold and wet; it's been raining the entire day, and we've spent the day just enjoying the warmth of the inside. I'm tucked into Grayson's side, his arm around me, and my head on his chest. The glow of the TV flickers across the room, casting shifting shadows on the walls. It's late, a little after eleven, and I'm warm, drowsy, and perfectly content.

Gray's phone buzzes on the nightstand. He reaches for it, and a small smile crosses his face. "It's my mom."

"At this hour?"

"She's a night owl." He answers, pressing the phone to his ear. "Hey, Mom."

I listen to the one-sided conversation, not really paying attention. His hand absently strokes my shoulder, and I feel myself drifting.

Then his voice shifts—something careful enters his tone.

"Mom, I don't know if that's—" A pause. "No, I understand, but—" Another pause. "She's right here, actually. Let me—" He sighs, but I can hear the smile in it. "Okay, Mom. Okay, I'll ask her."

I lift my head, looking at him. His eyes meet mine, and there's a nervousness in them mixed in with anticipation.

"Ask me what?" I ask softly.

He holds up a finger, mouthing one second. Then, into the phone: "Yeah, Mom. I'll talk to her tonight and let you know. I love you too. Bye."

He hangs up and lets out a long breath.

I sit up, turning to face him. "Okay, spill. What's going on?"

He rubs the back of his neck, a gesture I've come to recognise as his tell for when he's about to say something that makes him uncomfortable. "So...my family wants to meet you."

My heart does a little skip. "Oh?"

"Yeah." He sits up too, turning to face me. "Mom's been asking for a while, actually. I've been putting it off because—" He pauses, searching for words. "Because I wanted to make sure it was the right time. That you were ready."

I understand where he's coming from. Life...my life has been chaotic lately with all the family drama. So I get why he would want to wait till the dust has settled for me to meet his family.

I take his hand, lacing our fingers together. "I understand, and I think I'm ready."

His eyes light up, just a little. "Really?"

"Really. I want to meet your family. I want to know everyone who made you who you are."

He squeezes my hand, then hesitates. "There's more."

"More?"

"My sister and her family are going to be there. Mom wants us to come for the weekend. She's got it all planned: dinner, board games, the whole thing. She said they've been patient enough and now they want to meet you properly."

My stomach flips. "The whole weekend?"

"Yeah." He looks at me, his expression earnest. "We don't have to. I can tell her we're busy, that we can do a shorter visit another time. I know it's a lot—"

"Gray." I stop him with a hand on his chest. "I want to meet your family. I'm nervous, but I want to."

"You are?"

I nod. "Terrified," I admit. "But excited too. I love you. I want to know the people who raised you, who loved you before I did."

He stares at me for a long moment, the emotions in his eyes shifting. Then he pulls me into a hug, tight and fierce. "I love you," he says into my hair. "You have no idea how much that means to me."